Safety device for clutch mechanisms



-H. J. BOE

Filed Mayv 9. 1921 2 Sheets-S'hee'ic l Ewen or Hemerj April 6, 1926.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLUTCH MCHANISMS April 6 1926.

v 1,579,206 H. J. BOE

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLUTCH MECHANISMS Filed May 9 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 adi/,MM

Patented pr. v6, 192.5. p

" UNITED STATES HELMER JOI-IN-BOE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO `VVESIERN ELECTRIC COM- i PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., CORPORATION F NEW YORK' SAFETY l:DEVICE FOR CLUTCH MECHANISMS.

Application led May 9,

To all whom t may conce/m.' Y y Be 1t known that I, HELMER JOHN BOE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at- Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have linvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for' Clutch Mechanisms, ofv which the following is a full, clear, concise, land exact description.

This invention relates to safety devices for clutch mechanisms, and more particularly to a mechanism for controlling a clutch operating member. 1 f Y The object'of'the invention in general is to provide a simple and reliable mechanism for, preventing the movement of the clutch controlling member while the driving member is in motion above a certain speed, but allowing the movement of the clutch controlling member when' the driving member is moving at a very low speed and when lat rest, thereby guarding against the sudden application of loads to the clutch mechanism.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided a mechanism comprising a set of centrifugallyoperatedinembers carried'on a sleeve which isrotatable with, but slidable upon the drivingv shafts The centrifugally operatedmembersi in their movement control the en- Y In the drawingsr,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation ofv the clutch controlling mechanism embodying the features of this invention with a section of the casing' broken away, showingA the operating parts in their locked positiong' Fig. 2 is an end view thereof looking from the right-hand side, with the clutch controlling lever partly broken away' Fig'. 3 isan enlarged end View of the driving shaft taken from the left-hand side of Fig. 1 with the mechanism carried thereby 1921. serial No. 468,043.

and with the omission of the casing, clutch lever, etc.; p A p Fig. 4: is Van enlarged partialv vertical Lcr'osssection taken on'the line-ofFig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a4 planfview o f ,oneV application 'of the invention shown mounted on a driving shaft with the shaft of a mechanism to be driven connected.therewith by.-a twospeed clutch-mechanism, and y y Fig. 6v is a front elevationv thereof. In the drawings as shown iii-Fig.' 1, 1Q indicates a casing, within` which is housed a clutch controlling levervlo'cking mechanism 11. The casinglO is provided `with a suitl vis a sleeve 14 whichiis slidably mountedv thereon and secured thereto fjor'rotationi by a feather key 15. Assliown on Figs'. 13, fand 4, the peripheral surface of thel shaft 13 is provvidedwith-three sets of sockets or-depressions 16, 17, and 18, each s'etconsisting of three "de-'.1 pressions spaced 120o apart.V Mounted'vvithin depressions 201.420', positioned5120,O apart and formed inthe peripheral; surface of the adaptedto engage the three setsV of depressions 16, 17, and 18' when Vin proper alinement therewith. The pins 21,-21 are caused to engage in one or the otherl of the three, sets of depressions 16, 17, and18 when the shaft 13 is revolving ataV suitableispeed through the movement of fly balls 22,--22

positioned upon one end fflevers'23Q-23 which are pivoted withinV suitablefsockets formed in theV sleeve 14,- and in lon'gitudfinalv alinement with the three'setsl of Adepressions 16, 17, and-18by -the pins 24-1211 with their opposite` ends 25-25 entering sockets 27g-V27 l y formed in thepins 21-,211

The levers 23423 are each equipped. with a suitably m'ounted'tension springy 28 lwhich functions to ldraw the pinsl 241' from vthe depressions Vformed in the shaft 1.3 'wlfien`` 'l itl has stopped rotating. VIn somev cases' itisnecessary that the clutch controlling" lever to the rock shaft 32 within the casing 10 is a clutch lever 40 which extends upward through a. suitable slot formed in the top surface of the casing 10. Formed upon the top surface of the casing is a quadrant 41 provided with three suitably` spaced depressions 42, 43, and 44 adapted to be engaged by a locking dog 45 carriedv npon the lever 4() and suitablycontrolled from the operating'end offthe. clutch lever 40. Figs.

5 and 6 show one application the invention wherein the locking mechanism 11 isV shownV with. the shaft 13 connected: direct to a 'motor 48 and the rock shaft 32 extending from the casing 10 and lcontrolling the move- Y ment of yoke levers 49 and 50 which are adapted to operate the slidable members 51 and 52 of the clutches 53 and 54, whereby a shaft 56 which drives the machine Ymay be operated at either high or low speed or be disengaged from the driving shaft 13. As

Y shown in the drawings, with the locking dog of the clutch lever 40 in engagement with the depression 44 the shaft 56 is connected to the Shaft 13 so it will operate at high speed.

vIn this showing, power is transmitted from the shaft 13, which is connected to the shaft of the motor 48, to a pinion 57 suitably secured to the shaft1 13. The pinion .57 meshes with a gear 58 suitably secured on a l stub shaft59, which gear in turn meshes with a second gear 60 carried loose on the shaft 56.

Formed on one side of the gear 60 is ythe nonbe driven at high speed.

slidable part 61 of the clutch 54. `*The slidable part 5.2 of the clutch 54 is suitably keyed to the shaft 56, thereby causing thisshaft to By disengaging "the locking dog 45 of the clutch lever 40 from the depression 44 and movingl the cliitch lever over so the locking dog .will

engage the depression 42, the slidable part rl 51 of the clutch, 53 will be` moved into engagement with a non-slidable part 64 there of. Inl this-case power will be transmitted fromlth'e gear 58 through Vthe clutcli-53 to a bevel gear 65 carried loose on the stub shaft and which has formed on one side thereof the clutch part 64. The bevel gear `65 meshes with a second bevel gear 66 suitably secured to a shaft 67 which is suitably supported below lthe shaft 56. Secured on the VVshaft 67 is a worin 68 shown in dotted outline on Fig. 6, which meshes 'with a worin gear 69 carried loose on the shaft 56. Formed on one side of the worin gear 69 is a second non-slidable part of the clutch 54 which'is engaged by the slidable member 52 thereof-when the clutch lever 4() is moved from its high speed position to its low speed position. In Vthis position the shaft 56 will run at low speed. When driving at low speed the part 61 of the clutch 54 land the gear 69 will run idle on the shaft 56.

Vvlhen driving` at high speed the part 51 of the clutch 53 will run idle on the shaft 59 with the bevel gears 65 and 66 standing still and consequently the worm 68 and worm gear 69 will also stand still. lVith the clutch'lever 40 in either of its three positions indicated at 42, 43, and 44 and the motor running, the clutch lever can not be shiftet` due to the centrifugal inlove-V ment of the .ily balls 212-221 which move theglevers 23-..3 about their pivot pins 24 24 and insert the pins 21-21 into one or the other ofthe three sets of depressions 16, 17,

and 18,l thereby locking the'.A clutch leverj from movement until themotor is stopped.

Then the shaft 13 is stopped the springs 28 act to move the llevers 23-23 inward toward the aXis of the shaft 13,thereby drawing the pins 21-21 from one or the other ofL the three sets of depressions 16, 17, and 18 to' unlock the clutch lever. In this position the clutch lever may be shifted to any one of its three positions, which movement carries the sleeve 14 and the pins 21-21 mounted theref in into alinement with one of the three sets:

of depressions 16, 17,'and 18. When the shaft 13 is rotatedv the fly balls will move:

outward, due to centrifugal action, which movement moves thc pins 21-21 into the depressions directly in alinemen't therewith Y on the shaft 13, thereby` locking the'cliitch lever 40 from being shifted during the rotation of the shaft 13. Y l

lVhat is claimed is: f 1.. In a locking mechanism for clutches,

the combination with a driving member andA a clutch controllingmember` n'iovable'into a plurality of controlling positions, of meansv y carried by and controlled by thespeed Vof the driving member for locking the clutch controlling member againstoperation when set in any one of its controllingpositions.

2. In a locking mechanism for clutches, '120' the combination. with a driving member and a clutch controllingmember movable into a plurality of controlling positions, of centi'ifl'igally operated means carrieil by and actuated bythe speed of rotation of the driving member for 4locking the clutch controlling member against operation when set in any one of its controllingpositions.

3. In a locking mechanism for clutches, the combination with a driving member and a clutch controlling member movable into a 1,579,206 i I 'l i 'l ,8

plurality of controlling positions, of centrifugally operated means carriedby and actuated by the driving member for locking the clutch controlling member against operation when set in any one'of its controlling positions while the driving member is rotating above a certain speed, and means for unlocking said clutch controlling member when the speed of rotation of the driving member is reduced below a certain point.

4. In a locking mechanism for clutches, a driving member provided with engaging surfaces, a sleeve slidably mounted thereon and rotatable therewith', a clutch controlling v member operatively connected ,tosaid sleeve,

and eentrifugally operated means carried bysaid sleeve and controlled by the speed ofnected to said sleeve, and centrifugally operated means mounted on said sleeve and controlled by the speed of rotation of said shaft to move the pins into one of the sets of sockets whereby said clutch controlling member is locked in its yset position.

6. In alocking mechanism for clutches, n

a driving-shaft provided withfa plurality of sockets, a sleeve slidably mounted thereon and rotatable therewith, a plurality `of pins carried by said sleeve adapted to engage in one of the sets of sockets in said shaft, a clutch lcontrolling member operatively connected to said sleeve, centrifugally operated means mounted on said sleeve and controlled by the speed of rotation of said shaft to move the pins into one of the sets of sockets whereby said clutch controlling member is locked in its set position while the driving shaft is rotating above a certain speed, and means for unlocking said clutch controlling member when the speed of rotation of the driving shaft is reduced kbelow a certain point.

' 7, In a locking mechanism for clutches,

a driving member, a driven member, a sleeve carried by one of said members, a clutch for operatively interconnecting the members, clutch' controllingn'ieans operatively connected to the sleeve, and means carried by the sleeve and controlled bythe speed of rotation of the associated member to engage the associated member and lock the clutch controlling member against movement. f

j In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of April A. D., 1921.

HELMER JoHNBoE. 

